Ofcom is seeking feedback on more rules around how providers handle spam messages sent to mobiles. The aim being to both make it harder for the spammers to operate but also to force all mobile operators to do more to root out spammers who are active.
If you get sent spam SMS messages today you can already report it for free by forwarding the message to 7726 from your mobile (how to guides are on the National Cyber Security Centre site). Hopefully the provider will then investigate and if a common spam message block and or ban the sender.
Ofcom estimates based on a survey that around half of all UK mobile users between November 2024 and February 2025 received a spam text message. 100 million messages were reported to mobile operators through the 7726 service in the 12 months prior to April 2025.
For the vast majority of the time, things like the parcel delivery messages that are obviously spam, but the spammers send so many that enough people will be expecting a parcel delivered by the firm mentioned and then might follow a link that likely leads to a fake page claiming you need to pay extra fees to secure your delivery.
While its normal to believe you will never fall foul of one of these scams, we recommend making sure you are aware of the various types of scam so you can spot them, and also make sure friends and family are very aware of the problems that exist. Our scam guide is a good resource for sharing especially with older relatives who have grown up trusting any one who phones them or messages they receive.
So what are the new rules that Ofcom is consulting on until February 2026:
- set volume limits for pay-as-you-go SIM cards
- block numbers used by scammers
- block scam messages in transit
Some providers have been more pro-active in this arena, but the spammers are simply moving around between providers until they find a safe haven.
Business messaging is used for bulk messaging, since with the volume of messages sent it is clear that this is not a group of people typing each message on a mobile handset. Stopping the spammers using those services would dramatically reduce the levels of spam. To that end Ofcom proposes:
- conduct upfront and ongoing due diligence checks
- prevent use of fake sender names (known as Alphanumeric Sender IDs)
- apply incident management processes
- block scam messages in transit
“Messaging scams can have a devastating impact on their victims. Our plans will ensure that mobile firms consistently apply proven measures to thwart these crimes. That means locking scammers out of networks and blocking hundreds of millions more scams from getting through to people and businesses each year.“
Amy Jordan, Strategy Delivery Director, Ofcom
Message spam on an individual basis is such a small annoyance, but enough actual crime results from these that the harms can be significant for individuals both financially and the erosion of trust, and clearly there is enough income generated for the criminals involved to continue to operate even after measures already introduced.
Fingers crossed there will be more arrests and people sentenced based on the reporting of messages.
One interesting case is someone who was jailed this summer was someone who used a SMS blaster to bypass the mobile networks to deliver scam texts to mobiles. This works by creating a mobile fake 2G tower in a vehicle and tricking phones to connect to it, and then the spam can be delivered. The simplest way to combat this is on an Android handset to disable 2G, though that may mean in areas without 4G or 5G you have no mobile signal, for Apple mobiles you can use block messages from unknown senders.
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“Hopefully the provider will then investigate and if a common spam message block and or ban the sender.”
I’m sorry but “hopefully” is the operative word and you’re probably going to be disappointed.
Network operators only do as much as they need to maximise profits such as running networks that can’t guarantee data or mobile signal even in populous parts of the country let alone those that are less so.
In Lancaster city centre you will sometimes find it hard to make a phone call let alone use the internet.
This is for a vandalised mast but it has been that way for much longer than it needs to be.
https://www.reddit.com/r/LancasterUK/comments/1m9q0ey/how_do_you_get_phone_signal_in_lancaster/
They invented WIFi calling so they could get away with the resposiblity of actually providing what they charge you for.